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With as many as 1 in 3 U.S. adults having prediabetes, as WSJ’s Informed Patient column reports, health-care providers are ramping up education and management programs to help people make the lifestyle changes — such as weight loss and exercise — needed to ward off full-blown Type 2 diabetes.

An important new diagnostic test for tuberculosis is about to become more affordable where it’s needed most — in the developing world.

The U.S. government, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UNITAID, a global health-funding initiative, announced a plan this week to reduce the cost of cartridges for the test by 41% for 145 countries where the burden of tuberculosis is high. Cartridges for the Xpert MTB/RIF rapid diagnostic test will be $9.98 now in those countries as of Aug.6, down from $16.86. The prices will hold until 2022, the partners said.

New Study Fine-Tunes Diabetes, Statin Link (WSJ): A new analysis published in The Lancet of a 17,000-patient study suggests people at risk for diabetes are more likely to develop the disease while taking statins, though the heart-protecting benefits outweigh the risks.

It May Be Time to See a Doctor (WSJ): Quarterly results from insurers and hospital operators indicate people are heading back to the doctor for checkups and other procedures after years of economic malaise reduced use of outpatient care….

Nanotechnology Could Heal Damaged Hearts (WSJ): Scientists used nanotechnology to repair tissues damaged in heart attacks in rats and pigs, suggesting a possible new way to treat people who’ve suffered the same ailment.

FDA Limits Use Of Stryker Brain Stent (WSJ): Use of the devices was narrowed to patients aged 22 to 80 whose arteries were severely constricted and who’d had at least two previous strokes from which they recovered, amid data showing the stent may raise health risks….

A growing number of swim clinics are teaching adults how to swim, as WSJ reported this week. Before you get into the pool, it’s important to know what to expect and how to make the most of your time. Here are some tips from swim coaches on gear to bring and ways to practice away from the pool….

Cholesterol Levels Fall Among Young (WSJ): A study led by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers found 8.1% of children and adolescents had high cholesterol between 2007 and 2010, down from 11.4% between 1988 and 1994.

A new test to measure the rate of HIV infection in populations is raising hopes among health officials that they’ll be able to figure out more quickly and cheaply which methods work best to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Known as the Limiting Antigen Avidity Enzyme Immunoassay, the test to measure HIV incidence was developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention….

Study Finds 31% of Doctors Shun Medicaid (WSJ): Nearly a third of doctors in the U.S. said they wouldn’t accept Medicaid beneficiaries, according to a government study published in the journal Health Affairs on Monday. Results varied by states….

Research on Pain Medicines Seeks a Genetic-Trait Link (WSJ): An international research team, based at the University of Pennsylvania, got an $18 million grant from the federal government to study how genetic and other factors might affect people’s response to painkillers like Celebrex and Aleve. The goal: to make use of the medicines safer and more effective.

Honesty May Aid Health (USA Today): People who were honest complained less about their physical and mental health than people who lied, according to a new study measuring participants’ reports of sore throats, tense feelings and other issues. The study, presented at the American Psychological Association’s annual meeting by a University of Notre Dame researcher, examined 110 people for ten weeks.

Attending the county fair can expose you to the risk of a new type of swine flu.

Health officials said Friday that nearly 20 people have gotten sick in the past year after coming in close contact with pigs at county or state fairs. A dozen cases have been reported this week, with 10 coming from a county fair held last weekend in southwest Ohio.

The “H3N2” flu strand is still largely a swine virus, limited to pigs, with no evidence yet suggesting humans can pass the illness to one another….

One Sure Formula for Controversy (WSJ): New York City’s “Latch On NYC” initiative encouraging breast feeding — so far embraced by 27 of 40 maternity hospitals in the city — has ignited fierce debate.

FDA Figure Is Under Fire (WSJ): A Food and Drug Administration scientist is being criticized by some breast-cancer doctors and others in the agency for blocking approval of potentially more precise digital mammography machines for several years….

Gluten Danger Puts Schools to the Test (WSJ): Some universities are investing thousands of dollars on special food-storage and kitchens, and adding separate eating areas for students who are sensitive to the protein found in wheat and other grains.

Medical Care Time Warp (WSJ): Insurers are rolling out plans that have more restricted choices for doctors and hospitals, and are considering new referral requirements, amid pressure to cut costs….

Employers Move to Adapt Health Law (WSJ):Two key parts of the health law take effect today, a requirement for employers to give insurance-company refunds to workers and the inclusion of contraception and other health services in workers’ insurance plans without charging co-payments or fees…

Bacterial contamination of donated platelets has become the most significant infection risk in the U.S. blood supply, as WSJ’s Informed Patient column explains today.

Donated platelets are used to help blood clot in very sick patients, such as those who have suffered severe trauma or are undergoing a bone marrow transplants. Although AABB — the large blood-bank group — in 2004 adopted new safety measures to reduce the chances that donors’ blood or skin transmits bacteria to the blood bag, a risk of contamination remains….

The Biggest Blood Supply Risk: Tainted Platelets (WSJ):Experts now believe that the biggest risk of infection in the nation’s blood supply is transfusions using contaminated platelets, not HIV or hepatitis C. Hospitals and blood banks are looking into ways to improve safety.

Germany’s Merck forecasts little or no improvement in earnings this year, with stiff competition for its blockbuster multiple-sclerosis treatment and higher research spending likely to offset the impact of recent acquisitions.